Indicator for household use.



PATENTED JUNE 5, 1906.

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APPLICATION FILED JULYl NITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

HARRY E. BAKER AND HARRY E.) NEAVLING, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .Tune 5, 1906.

Application filed July 1,1905. Serial N0. 267,986.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, HARRY E. BAKER and HARRY E. NEAVLING, citizens of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Household Use 5 and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally to indicators, and particularly to devices for use in kitchens or pantries for conveniently recording such articles of household use the supply of which is exhausted and which it is desired to replenish; and it has for its object to provide a simple, durable, and comparatively inexpensive device of the character described the indicators of which may beset or returned by one movement to their normal position after a note has been made of the articles which are exhausted or which it is desired to supply; and it consists of the parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of our improved device Fig. 2, aperspective view of the back plate thereof Fig. 3, a plan view of a modified form of the device, and Fig. 4 a perspective view of a modilied form of the back plate.

Similar letters refer to similar parts through out all the views.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the frame of the device, and B the bottom or back plate. The back plate preferably consists of a single sheet of metal bent or pressed at right angles at all its edges to form flanges. The flanges a at the two sides of the plate are formed with a series of openings or perforations b, arranged at regular intervals apart, from which extend the narrow slots or slits c to the edge of the flange, while the top and bottom flanges d are formed with openings or perforations e, arranged at greater distances apart than the perforations b.

C represents a series of stops of wood or metal and preferably of wires, one end of each of which is fastened in any desired manner through one of the perforations e in one of the flanges d and the other end in the corresponding perforation in the other or opposite flange d. As shown, the wires are drawn taut before being fastened and are spaced an equal distance apart.

D represents a wire, one end of which is fastened in either the top or bottom opening b in one of the side flanges a and is then carried across the plate to the opposite side flange and passed through or let into through the slot or slit c, the corresponding opening or perforation l), and drawn taut. The wire D is then carried on the outside of theflange to the next adjacent opening or perforation b and inserted therein and across the plate to the corresponding opening or perforation in the flange at that side of the plate and drawn taut and thence through the next opening or perforation and across the plate to the corresponding opening on the other side. This operation is repeated until each corresponding pair of openings or perforations are connected by the wire D, and its end is then fastened in the last o ening. In passing the wire from side to si e it is alternately woven under, over, or through the stops or the wires C each time it is carried across the plate, so as form a support for said wires D and prevent them from sagging or being lifted out of 'position.

The wires D, arranged as described, form a series of tracks or ways on which the indicator-balls E are hung or mounted and which within certain limits have free movement thereon. The indicator-balls may be of any desired material-such as wood, glass, or metal-and may be formed as beads and strung on the wire D before the same is inserted in the last of each pair of openings or perforations b or any other preferred manner of arranging them on the wire may be used, so that such rovides for the free movement of the said ba ls on said wire.

Imprinted or marked on the face of the back plate B or on an additional and sepa' rate plate or board placed over the back plate in vertical series or rows are the names of groceries, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and other household necessities, the same being arranged alphabetically, and along the lefthand side of each row is formed a wide mark or line f, of a solid color, which contrasts to the color of the indicator-balls. The latter may be of any preferred color, such as red or green, and the mark f of deep black, so that when the balls are moved over said mark they will be conspicuous and easily discerned.

The vertical wiresO are so arranged and IOO IIO

spaced apart as to extend over and along the left-hand side of the mark f at each row of the names of the groceries and other articles, and the wires D are so arranged and spaced apart as to extend horizontally over and along the bottom line of the words or names of the articles, whereby each row of the names of articles is divided vertically by said wires C and also horizontally by said wire D.

rThe stops or wires C act to limit the movements of the balls and to arrest their motion immediately over the space f at the name o'l' the article which it is intended to designate as one that is to be replenished and .also to limit the movement of the balls in the other direction. or off the mark or space f when a note has been made oi the names of the articles needed, as indicated by the location of the .balls The device is hung up in a kitchen or pantry or other convenient place with the balls all to one side, the right in this instance, and as it is found by the housewife or other user that the supply of any article is exhausted the ball on the wire D under the name of such article is moved to the left until its movenient is arrested by the stops or wire C, at which time the ball is immediately over the mark or space This operation is performed each time it is ascertained that the supply of any particular article is exhausted or when it is desired to note that any particular article is needed, so that the user may at a glance call oii the names of the articles to the grocer when he calls or make a note of them if it is proposed to order them by mail or otherwise. When the articles have been ordered, it is only necessary to tilt the frame of the device in order to cause the balls to slide back into their normal position at the right.

While we have described our preferred manner of arranging and constructing our invention, still many modifications of the same may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of our invention and have illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 inodiiied constructions of the parts. In Figs. 3 and 4L we have shown a bottom plate B', formed of a single sheet of metal bent or pressed into a series of grooves or corrugations D', which serve to act as tracks or ways for the balls E', and over which plate is arranged a sheet of metal or cardboard or any other suitable material G, on which is printed or marked the names of the articles, as described in connection with Fig. 1, and alongside and in the same horizontal plane as said names are formed the slots F', into which the balls F/ project. The

slots F' may be rectangular in shape, as shown, or they may be formed rounded and with a depression at each end, as indicated in dotted line, Fig. 3, in order that the balls may rest in said depressions to prevent accidental displacement after they have been set in their normal position or have been moved to indicate some particular article. The two plates B' and G may be secured together in any desired manner, as by strips secured along their edges, or the plate G may be made a little longer than plate B' and have its ends bent at right angles, as at c', so as to cover the ends ofthe plate B' and may be secured in any desired manner theretowas, for instance, by riveting the plates together through the perforations d'.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An indicating device for domestic or other use comprising a plate having the names of articles of household use arranged in horizontal lines thereacross, tracks or ways extending from side to side of said plate, stops dividing each of said tracks or ways into sections, and indicators located one in each section and free to gravitate between the stops.

2. A device for domestic or other use comprising a back plate bearing the names of household articles in horizontal lines across the same and having right-angled flanges at all its edges, wires arranged parallel to said lines of names and secured to said flanges, stops arranged at intervals transverse to said horizontal wires, and indicators loosely arranged on said horizontal wires between each pair of stops, whereby the reversing of the frame of the device will permit the indicators to slide from stop to stop.

3. A device for domestic or other use comprising a plate having the names of articles of household use arranged in horizontal lines across said plate, tracks or ways extending from side to side of said plate parallel to said lines of naines, a series of stops for each of said tracks or ways arranged to intersect the same at intervals, and indicators arranged on said tracks or ways and located one between each pair of stops.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY E. BAKER. HARRY E. NEAVLING.

Witnesses:

ROBERT T. WHrTEHoUsE, MARGARET E. STEVENS.

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